Gulfstream celebrated the recent achievements of the G700 yesterday at its Manhattan Sales and Design Center. Guests mingled with Gulfstream president Mark Burns, senior vice president of worldwide sales Scott Neal, and Scott Evans, director of demonstration and corporate flight operations. Greg Principato, CEO of the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), was also present at the event.
The G700 recently completed a world tour that resulted in 25 speed records. The NAA has been validating flight speed records since the Kitty Hawk days and uses specific and disciplined metrics and systems—including data from the FAA and taken directly from the flight decks— to make sure the times are accurate. Principato explained, "if you want to make progress, you have to see where you are and where you've been. Measuring progress must have integrity. NAA is completely neutral—we don't work for any particular manufacturer or company or anybody, and we certify those records. You have to meet certain standards, the equipment has to be checked. You can't just say you did it."
The NAA is known for its prestigious Collier Trophy, awarded annually to a company that illustrates the "greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America." Gulfstream has been awarded the Collier three times, in 1997 for the Gulfstream V; in 2003 for the G550; and in 2014 for the G650.
As far as Gulfstream is concerned, speed records are mostly done as a service to customers.
Evans noted, "This is to show our customers and potential customers the capabilities of our airplane. Ultimately, we want to take off just as they would on any given day and connect another point in space and destination the same way they would have. And so when they look at those city pairs for their own operations, then they can know that the airplane has the ability to do what we as Gulfstream are telling them it will do."
Neal validated that the world tour allowed those customers to experience the aircraft—which according to Gulfstream has the widest, tallest, and longest cabin available on a business jet— firsthand in more than 20 countries. The response, said Neal, was "Overwhelmingly positive. It was a hit at every stop. One of the first reactions was just a gasp. It took their breath away. One customer spent just 10 minutes in the cabin and then bought one."
Burns was visibly emotional when discussing how proud he is of the 18,000 Gulfstream employees who participated in the vision, design, and manufacturing of the G700 over seven years, saying, "I've been here for 40 years, and this is the best of the best. As a long-term Gulfstream employee, just being able to see the reaction that people have when they look at something that you've put so much time and energy into—it is really gratifying for us as a team." Burns continued, "I was part of the tour in the Middle East and we went to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, and Egypt. And just the experience of being on the airplane showed me that the level of effort we've put in for the last seven years made a difference. The airplanes are fit and finish the best we've ever done."
Gulfstream expects the ultra-long-range jet to enter service this year.
